SEPTEMBER 2021

“La Rivoluzione Macchiata: The Stained Revolution”

Sasha Souillard

ARTICLES

Published September 2021

ABSTRACT

Although graffiti gained popularity through the expansion of American pop 
culture, its origins are greatly embedded in Italian culture and history. Not only
does the word graffiti come from the Italian word “graffiato” or “scratched “off”, 
but some of the world’s first graffiti was found in Pompeii’s ruins. Over the last 
few years, Italy has been governed by right-wing coalitions that have 
implemented fascist practices once used by Mussolini. Given that there is 
little space for leftist ideas to emerge in the public space, Italians have used 
graffiti as a form of political activism and protest. Conversations surrounding 
fascism, racism, women’s rights, immigration and the LGTBQ community have 
arisen within graffiti, allowing outsiders to better understand Italians’ takes on 
these issues. This study investigates Italy’s sociopolitical climate through 
graffiti as a form of art, and also sheds light on how graffiti provokes its 
audience. The graffiti found in Florence, Bologna, and Naples proves to be 
linguistically complex, and provokes observers both through heightened 
language and visuals. This study suggests that the majority of Italian 
sociopolitical graffiti belongs to students who are unable to take part in 
democracy based on their age or legal status. While often deemed a 
vandalistic act, graffiti has allowed Italian individuals to protest what is unjust, 
and make themselves heard in a society where their voices are being 
suffocated by right-wing political parties and their media.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33682/nv4g-se2u
PDF

HOW TO CITE (CHICAGO):
Souillard, Sasha. “La Rivoluzione Macchiata: The Stained Revolution.” The Interdependent 2 (2021): 91-111. https://doi.org/10.33682/nv4g-se2u